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A career in managing experiences and traveling the world have made Ariadna Mateu uniquely qualified to fulfill her new role in BYU Marriott's ExDM program.
After BYU Marriott ExDM alumna Macie Briggs Duncan went on a trip to Disneyland, she set a goal to help create enjoyable and memorable experiences for others.
A painter, dancer, and designer, Kari Durrant describes herself as a primarily right-brained person. She intended to major in dance at BYU, but after encountering recreational therapy as part of a class assignment, Durrant eventually made the switch to recreation management. Her new major, she discovered, would enable her to use her creative side in ways she hadn’t expected.
Just before heading to the University of Iowa to join the university’s swim team, John Fellows discovered a copy of the Book of Mormon on a bookshelf in his parents’ home in Boise, Idaho. He packed it in his bags, and before long he called the missionaries wanting to know more. The combination of his baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a swimming-prohibitive injury led him to transfer to BYU, where he joined the Army ROTC and discovered what would become his lifelong career.
Almost every May, between four hundred and seven hundred people, attend a Norwegian Constitution Day celebration at the International Peace Gardens in Salt Lake City and enjoy traditional Norwegian lefse flatbread and Solo orange soda. For more than a decade, the chair of the event’s committee has been 1995 business management grad Steve Affleck, who doesn’t have even a bit of Norwegian ancestry.
For BYU Marriott experience design and management assistant professor Sarah Agate, the common phrase "family that plays together, stays together," couldn't be more true.
While working as a white-water rafting guide in central Idaho during high school, Mat Duerden got his first taste of how experience design can impact lives.
BYU Marriott ExDM professor Brian Hill, along with three other BYU professors, recently led a group of fourteen students on a six-week expedition exploring Utah's natural wonders.
Hearing a mix of languages was commonplace for Everet Bluth, who grew up speaking both Spanish and English on his family’s farm in a Latter-day Saint settlement in northern Mexico. Life at home, Bluth says, “evolved around family, church, work on the farm, school, and sports.” He says he had a typical childhood—except that he started driving farm equipment when he was eight.
Climbing the tallest mountains in the world, learning to fly, and doing research in Uganda are incredible feats on their own and BYU Marriott professor Stacy Taniguchi has done them all.
Emily Codling accomplishes what she sets her mind to. The secret to living your dreams, she says, is asking for the opportunity to do so.
Living without a washing machine and other conveniences was hardly what Kim Kimball Fale had in mind after graduating from BYU. She had earned a bachelor’s in business education in 1977 and a master’s in business education with an emphasis in organizational behavior in 1979. But when her husband, Tevita, suggested they move to his native Tonga for a few years, Fale agreed.
From an early age, it was clear that Brian J. Baldus was destined for the world of business. In fact, he started his first company as a nine-year-old. Now as a professor and an academic researcher, Baldus strives to make a positive impact on the business community on campus and around the area.
BYU Marriott alum Alena J. Turner quite literally bends over backward to help others. The 2013 therapeutic recreation graduate has influenced many children—including her own—during her successful career as a gymnastics coach.
A BYU Marriott alum combines work and play as she teaches patients how to recover from addiction through mountain biking, canoeing, and rock climbing.
Holly Jenkins packed up her bags and moved across the country alone at eighteen years old. Now, she has been working for the Department of Management for nineteen years.
Life has not always gone according to plan for BYU Marriott adjunct professor Blair Giles. But for Giles, the unexpected ride has turned out to be greater than he could have imagined, including some quality time with one Jimmer Fredette.
A strong relationship with the Savior and a keen sense of humor have helped Kris Belcher through the hardest trials of her life.
Everyone has a story to tell. Personal stories are shared on social media and news outlets every day. But what about those whose voices are not heard?
Jonathan DeGraff is quick to point out that his time in the Tanner Building not only gave him a great education but also left him with a strong desire to serve.
Making use of her well-honed business chops, this 1976 BYU Marriott grad has spent retirement focused on improving her community—one creative solution at a time.
Recreation management professor Brad Harris doesn’t want to be one of those people who go through the motions every day. He’s never been the kind of person to just daydream about making a difference—he actually does something about it. This mentality has inspired Harris to work in nonprofits throughout his life.
The summer after high school was transformative for BYU recreation management associate professor Peter Ward. He set off on a six-week European trip—a graduation gift from his grandmother—and learned about himself, others, and problem-solving.
Jennifer Rockwood stepped onto BYU’s South Field and gazed numbly across the green turf. “What have I gotten myself into?” she recalls thinking. “Can I really do this?”